Columbia April 2018 by Columbia Magazine

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K N I G H T S O F C O LU MBUS

A PRIL 2018

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K N I G H T S O F C O LU M BU S aPril 2018 ♦ VolumE 98 ♦ NumbEr 4

COLUMBIA

F E AT U R E S

Secretariat and the Knight Who Raced Him to Victory An interview with Ron Turcotte, the Hall of Fame jockey who rode the fastest steed of all time. BY ALTON J. PELOWSKI

14 Game On! The father of gold medal winner Amanda Pelkey reflects on watching his daughter’s dream come true. BY JOHN PELKEY, WITH COLUMBIA STAFF

16 The Last Martyr of Mexico The heroic witness of St. Pedro Maldonado, a member of the Knights, inspired the restoration of religious freedom to his state. BY JUAN GUAJARDO

20 ‘Love Is the Only Way’ An interview with actor Jim Caviezel about his role in the new film Paul, Apostle of Christ. BY COLUMBIA STAFF

22 Knighthood and the ‘New Man’ Catholic men are called to be faithful servants, protecting their families and building up the Church. BY ARCHBISHOP CHARLES J. CHAPUT

A rosary that belonged to St. Pedro de Jesús Maldonado Lucero, a priest and Knight of Columbus who was martyred in 1937, is pictured during the centennial celebration of his ordination in El Paso, Texas. (See story on page 16.)

D E PA RT M E N T S

Photo by Joe Najera Photography/Diocese of El Paso

Building a better world Reversing negative demographic trends will depend on embracing the Church’s wisdom about marriage and family. BY SUPREME KNIGHT CARL A. ANDERSON

Learning the faith, living the faith

Knights of Columbus News New K of C Video Series Highlights “Everyday Heroes” • Knights of Columbus Sets Insurance Record for 17th Consecutive Year • Order Mourns Death of Supreme Director

Fathers for Good The season when we celebrate the Resurrection is a privileged time of sacramental grace. BY JASON GODIN

26 Knights in Action

God’s mercy sets us free from slavery to sin and the prison of our pretensions. BY SUPREME CHAPLAIN ARCHBISHOP WILLIAM E. LORI

PLUS: Catholic Man of the Month

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The Paradox of the Cross Mozart, Michael Jordan, Mother Teresa. There is a temptation to think of those who possess extraordinary abilities, talents or holiness as otherworldly — as if their capacity for greatness was not realized in the same valley of tears in which the rest of us live. Certainly, such figures have been blessed with remarkable gifts, but so too have we. The difference often lies in how a person has, or has not, made use of those gifts. In his book Peak: Secrets from the New Science of Expertise (2016), psychologist K. Anders Ericsson states that in his 30 years of studying socalled prodigies, he has “never found a convincing case for anyone developing extraordinary abilities without intense, extended practice.” He argues that what sets apart the world’s most skilled athletes, artists and other top performers is not innate talent but rather a passionate determination to overcome their weaknesses. Whatever the task or achievement, overemphasizing the natural talents of others can be a way of excusing ourselves from the hard work required to excel. Similarly, we have a tendency to idealize the lives of the saints and martyrs and conclude that such sanctity is unattainable, or at least too costly. As G.K. Chesterton once wrote, “The Christian ideal has not been tried and found wanting. It has been found difficult; and left untried.” Nonetheless, the call to holiness remains universal — no one is exempt — and a principal reason the Church canonizes saints is to propose them as models for believers today.

Jesus says to his disciples, “Whoever wishes to come after me must deny himself, take up his cross, and follow me. For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it” (Mt 16:24-25). The Christian call to self-denial and self-sacrificial love, though challenging, is not a path to misery but to everlasting joy and fulfillment. At the center of Christianity stands the paradox of the cross: St. Paul writes, “The message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God” (1 Cor 1:18). In this issue of Columbia, we begin by highlighting the achievements of Hall of Fame jockey Ron Turcotte and Olympic gold medal-winning hockey player Amanda Pelkey, whose dedication to their respective sports has been complemented by their dedication to serving others. We also feature articles on St. Pedro Maldonado, a Knight of Columbus priest martyred in Mexico, and a new film about St. Paul, who wrote these words when faced with his own martyrdom: “I have competed well; I have finished the race; I have kept the faith” (2 Tim 4:7). Finally, the issue includes a thought-provoking reflection on the meaning of knighthood today. We are charged to become no less than saints so that, as the closing prayer of the Angelus states, we “may by his Passion and Cross be brought to the glory of his Resurrection.”♦ ALTON J. PELOWSKI EDITOR

Catholic Information Service Resource: Into the Breach Into the Breach: An Apostolic Exhortation to Catholic Men (#340) by Bishop Thomas J. Olmsted of Phoenix provides concrete answers to key questions: What does it mean to be a Catholic man? How does a Catholic man love? Why is fatherhood so crucial for every man? Published as part of the Veritas Series of the Order’s Catholic Information Service, this booklet includes a study guide and discussion questions. To download or order copies, visit kofc.org/cis. 2 ♦ COLUMBIA ♦

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COLUMBIA PUBLISHER Knights of Columbus ________ SUPREME OFFICERS Carl A. Anderson SUPREME KNIGHT Most Rev. William E. Lori, S.T.D. SUPREME CHAPLAIN Patrick E. Kelly DEPUTY SUPREME KNIGHT Michael J. O’Connor SUPREME SECRETARY Ronald F. Schwarz SUPREME TREASURER John A. Marrella SUPREME ADVOCATE ________ EDITORIAL Alton J. Pelowski EDITOR Andrew J. Matt MANAGING EDITOR Anna M. Bninski ASSOCIATE EDITOR

Venerable Michael McGivney (1852-90) Apostle to the Young, Protector of Christian Family Life and Founder of the Knights of Columbus, Intercede for Us. ________ HOW TO REACH US MAIL COLUMBIA 1 Columbus Plaza New Haven, CT 06510-3326 ADDRESS CHANGES 203-752-4210, option #3 addresschange@kofc.org PRAYER CARDS & SUPPLIES 203-752-4214 COLUMBIA INQUIRIES 203-752-4398 FAX 203-752-4109 K OF C CUSTOMER SERVICE 1-800-380-9995 E-MAIL columbia@kofc.org INTERNET kofc.org/columbia ________ Membership in the Knights of Columbus is open to men 18 years of age or older who are practical (that is, practicing) Catholics in union with the Holy See. This means that an applicant or member accepts the teaching authority of the Catholic Church on matters of faith and morals, aspires to live in accord with the precepts of the Catholic Church, and is in good standing in the Catholic Church.

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COVER: Photo by Tony Leonard/©Tony Leonard Foundation

E D I TO R I A L

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BU I L D I N G A B E T T E R WO R L D

‘To Receive and Give Life’ Reversing negative demographic trends will depend on embracing the Church’s wisdom about marriage and family by Supreme Knight Carl A. Anderson IN 1980, I had the opportunity to real human interaction but created a speak in Rome at a conference on the new hesitation to commit to longfuture of the family in Europe and term relationships such as marriage Africa, which was sponsored by the and especially to the responsibility of Catholic University of the Sacred raising children. what it means to be “fully human.” Heart’s medical school. In an earlier column this year, I We need more Catholic couples to During the meeting, a young wrote about the coming of a new cri- adopt the attitude described by Pope African mother introduced herself sis as developments in science in Francis: a life of such generosity and and her new baby. She told us that her areas such as artificial intelligence, sacrifice that they are willing “to rechild’s name was “Gift Francis” and robotics and genetics increasingly ceive and give life.” that she chose that name because blur our understanding of what it This will require all of us to make when she was pregnant her parish means to be human and even to act greater efforts to transmit the central priest, who was a Franciscan mission- in a human way. teaching of Humanae Vitae regarding ary, told her that her child the dignity and mission of was a gift from God. marriage. This is one of the I thought of Gift Francis “Married love particularly reveals great pastoral challenges faclast Advent when Pope Franing the Church in our time. its true nature and nobility when cis lamented nations that have The Knights of Columbus entered a demographic winter is seeking to strengthen we realize that it takes its origin because they have “chosen Catholic families by helping sterility.” Pope Francis conmen and women understand from God, who ‘is love.’” trasted this with the Christheir mission as both spouses tian’s way of life that is open and parents in terms of a “to receive and give life.” I wrote that, in this regard, Pope “domestic church.” The pope’s words followed a recent Paul VI’s 1968 encyclical, Humanae We hope more Catholic families study published by Demographic In- Vitae, was truly prophetic. will appreciate in their daily lives telligence, which reports that the U.S. As we approach the 50th anniver- how, in the words of Paul VI, “the birthrate has fallen to a 30-year low of sary of the encyclical, let us strive to marriage of those who have been bap1.77 children per woman. The study recover its central teaching, that tized … represents the union of predicts that the U.S. birthrate will be “married love particularly reveals its Christ and His Church” (8). at its lowest rate of growth since the true nature and nobility when we reAt times, this will require Catholic Great Depression years of 1936-1937. alize that it takes its origin from God, couples to act heroically. At times, all Numerous factors influence this who ‘is love,’” (8) and that “this love of us will respond imperfectly. But negative growth; we identified many is above all fully human”(9). this should only make us more, not during our conference back in 1980. If we do not recover this under- less, determined to accompany and asBut now some experts suggest there standing of the “true nature and no- sist each other in fulfilling the noble may be a new factor: a correlation be- bility” of married love, many younger mission given to our families. The tween the birth rate and increased use Catholics living in a thoroughly secu- safeguarding of this mission has been of social media. larized culture will find it increasingly entrusted, through Father McGivney’s They say more time spent in vir- difficult — if not impossible — to foresight, to our noble Order. tual reality has not only diminished understand “human fulfillment” and Vivat Jesus!

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L E A R N I N G T H E FA I T H , L I V I N G T H E FA I T H

Keeping Up Appearances God’s mercy sets us free from slavery to sin and the prison of our pretensions by Supreme Chaplain Archbishop William E. Lori

IN THE EARLY 1990s, there was a have fabricated about ourselves. We popular British sitcom called Keeping may imagine ourselves to be superior Up Appearances. As the title suggests, to members of our family, our the show was all about trying to look co-workers, friends and acquainbetter than one really is. The central tances. Usually, we fool no one — live in fear and anxiety that we will character, an overbearing middle-class least of all, God. fail, that we will be humiliated, that married woman named Hyacinth This Easter season is an opportune we will lose our standing. Bucket, is a caricature of a social time to examine our consciences, allow With this in mind, Holy Week and climber whose uppermost thought is the Holy Spirit to reveal our true selves Easter constitute a moment of truth. to win the acceptance of those she to us, and receive God’s mercy. On the first Easter Sunday evening, considers socially superior. Inthe risen Lord Jesus passed sisting that her pedestrian last through the locked doors of the name, Bucket, be pronounced Upper Room. There he ap“Bouquet,” Hyacinth does her peared in his glorified humanity Jesus passes this power over sin best to conceal her humble to the fearful Apostles. The to his disciples so that it might roots — only to be embarrassLord did not undertake to exingly foiled by her earthy relaplain to these, his closest folreach all of us through the tives who inevitably show up lowers, exactly what had at the wrong time and place. transpired the past three days of sacrament of reconciliation. For devotees of British humor, his passion, death and resurrecHyacinth’s antics are invariably tion. Instead, he said to them, hilarious. “Peace be with you. … Receive the The beauty of this sitcom is that in TRAPPED BY FEAR Holy Spirit. Whose sins you forgive laughing at Hyacinth we also laugh A false self-image is flimsier than are forgiven them, and whose sins you at ourselves. It may not be our con- gauze, but it often acts as a barrier, a retain are retained” (Jn 20:21-23). scious goal to impress the local gen- set of heavy locked doors that preThus the Lord takes his followers to try, but in one way or another, all of vent others from entering and enjoy- the heart of the mystery: God’s Son us like to keep up appearances. We, ing real friendship and communion became one of us so that he could die too, may wish for people to think of with us. on the cross and rise from the dead for us as more talented, prosperous, sucIt also functions like a prison. We the forgiveness of sins, defeating sin cessful, generous, humble or virtuous are trapped inside this false image, and death by the power of divine than we are. We seek to hide our alienated by fear of what others mercy. By bequeathing the Holy weaknesses. We gloss over the dispar- might think of us. Worse still, this Spirit, Jesus passes this power over sin ity between our public and private false self-image keeps God at bay as to his disciples so that it might reach selves, especially those inward well. It’s our way of saying that we’re all of us through the sacrament of recthoughts, words and deeds that do not created in God’s image but in our onciliation. For, as Jesus said of the not match our public image. own; we choose our aspirations over promised Holy Spirit, “When he Embedded in this false image is an his gifts. Living in this self-made comes he will convict the world in reinept snobbery. Like Hyacinth, we prison, we find authentic peace of gard to sin and righteousness and conmay begin to believe the myths we mind and heart in short supply. We demnation” (Jn 16:8). 4 ♦ COLUMBIA ♦

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L E A R N I N G T H E FA I T H , L I V I N G T H E FA I T H

FREED BY MERCY The Sunday after Easter is known as Divine Mercy Sunday. It is a day when the Church reads the aforementioned Gospel account of Jesus’ appearance to the disciples on Easter Sunday. In parishes throughout the world and at places of pilgrimage like the Saint John Paul II National Shrine in Washington, D.C., Catholics gather on this day for Mass, the Divine Mercy Chaplet and the sacrament of reconciliation. It is a sacred moment of truth when we allow the risen Lord to pass through the locked

H O LY FAT H E R ’ S P R AY E R I N T E N T I O N

Offered in Solidarity with Pope Francis

POPE FRANCIS: CNS photo/Paul Haring — BlESSEd GIuSEPPE GIROttI: Photo courtesy of the Order of Preachers

That economists may have the courage to reject any economy of exclusion and know how to open new paths.

door of our fearful hearts, to gaze at us with the eyes of mercy and to reveal us to ourselves. The examination of our consciences and the confession of our sins unmask our self-righteousness and the pretensions of our hearts. In the words of absolution, through the power of the Holy Spirit, the priest — acting in the person of Christ — forgives our sins and frees us from our self-made prisons. As the Spirit of the risen Lord descends upon us and cleanses our souls, we rise from the death of sin and begin to experi-

ence a new freedom to follow Christ. Our relationship with the Church is renewed, and we receive that peace the world cannot give (cf. Jn 14:27). The first principle of the Knights of Columbus is charity expressed in service to others, especially the vulnerable and those in need. Charity is not merely an external action, but rather flows from hearts purified by the power of God’s merciful love. How important it is, then, that we embrace the gifts of the Easter season, leaving our false images behind and humbly turning to the Lord.♦

C AT H O L I C M A N O F T H E M O N T H

Blessed Giuseppe Girotti (1905-1945) GIUSEPPE GIROTTI was born into a hardworking family in Alba, a town in northwestern Italy, July 19, 1905. He was an inquisitive boy, had a lively sense of humor and received a strong Catholic education with his two younger brothers. The homilies of a visiting Dominican priest inspired him to join the Order of Preachers at age 13. After making his religious vows in 1923, Girotti was ordained to the priesthood in 1930 and studied Scripture at Rome’s Angelicum University and Jerusalem’s École Biblique. Father Girotti then taught at the Dominican Theological Seminary of Turin and published brilliant commentaries on the Books of Wisdom and Isaiah. He also ministered to the lonely and abandoned, especially at a nearby hospice. At the beginning of World War II, Father Girotti taught for the Consolata Missionaries in Turin. Students later recalled how he would ask them for spare clothes, food or money to give to the poor. Father Girotti’s outreach soon extended to persecuted Jews, whom he called “carriers of the

Word of God” and “elder brothers.” At great risk, he helped many Jewish families hide or escape from the Nazi-Fascist regime until his eventual arrest. In October 1944, he was sent to Dachau, Germany, where as inmate number 113355 he lived with 1,090 other priests in Cabin 26, originally built to house 180 people. Forced to dig up potatoes from dawn till dusk in freezing rain and snow, he soon fell ill. In spite of the harsh conditions, Father Girotti remained open and generous. He gave food to others and encouraged them in the faith, preaching about the theological virtues and Christian unity. Executed by injection of gasoline, Father Girotti died Easter Sunday, April 1, 1945. He was beatified by Pope Francis in 2014.♦

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K N I G H T S O F C O LU M BU S N E W S

New K of C Video Series Highlights “Everyday Heroes” ORDINARY KNIGHTS doing extraordinary things — this is the underlying theme of a new multipart video series titled “Everyday Heroes,” which debuted online at the end of March. Each 5-minute episode tells the inspiring story of a present-day Knight or K of C council and the ways members live out the Order’s mission — from a parish in Ottawa, Ontario, to Long Island to Lourdes, France. One video, for example, explores the faith and service of U.S. Army Special Forces 1st Sgt. Sompaul Vorapanich, a Warriors to Lourdes pilgrimage leader; another introduces a talented group of seminarians who spread God’s love through music; a third delves into the conversion and sporting philosophy of Darrell Miller, a former MLB player. Many of the faces will be familiar to Columbia readers, as the series catches up with Knights and families who have appeared in the magazine: • Chris Dooley: a multi-sport Special Olympics athlete from Maryland who competed as a kayaker in the 2015 Special Olympics World Games (December 2015) • The Al Dakhil family: a Melkite Greek Catholic family welcomed as refugees from Syria by Holy Redeemer Council 9544 in Ottawa (June 2016) • Robert Wolf Jr.: a father whose son, James, inspired him to join the Order shortly before giving his life in the Iraq War (July 2017)

• Joseph Mario Reali Council 16261: one of Long Island’s newest councils, named after a dynamic young man of faith who died suddenly in 2015 at age 25 (August 2017) • University of Notre Dame Council 1477: the Order’s oldest college council, whose members began selling steak sandwiches before home football games in 1973, raising $1.5 million for charity to date (February 2018, etc.) • José Lebrón-Sanabria: a K of C general agent who helped coordinate relief efforts in Puerto Rico after Hurricane Maria (March 2018) All of the videos can be watched online and shared via social media at kofceverydayheroes.org.♦

Knights of Columbus Sets Insurance Record for 17th Consecutive Year

Order Mourns Death of Supreme Director

THE KNIGHTS OF COLUMBUS recorded its 17th consecutive year of growth in insurance sales, with nearly $8.8 billion in new life insurance sold and a new record of more than $109 billion of life insurance in force. The new sales record caps a solid year for the Knights. In February, for the fifth consecutive year, the organization was also named a “World’s Most Ethical Company®” by the Ethisphere® Institute, an independent center for research promoting best practices in corporate ethics and governance. In addition, the Knights was again listed on the Fortune 1000 list (880) in 2017 and earned a financial strength rating of A+ (Superior) from A.M. Best. “We remain committed to our founding vision of protecting the financial future of Catholic families,” said Supreme Knight Carl A. Anderson. “We offer top-quality financial protection provided by professionals who are brother Knights, who share our values and who act on them.”♦

SUPREME DIRECTOR Javier S. Martinez died March 2 in Stafford, Texas. He was 58 years old. A dedicated Knight for more than 27 years, Martinez served in numerous fraternal leadership positions, including Texas State Deputy (20082010) and Supreme Director since 2009. As a member of the Board of Directors, he focused on membership growth, particularly in Hispanic communities. Born in 1959, Martinez earned a law degree from the University of Texas and had a long career as a litigation attorney. He is survived by his wife of 37 years, Marietta, their two sons and three granddaughters.♦

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FAT H E R S F O R G O O D

Easter Duty The season when we celebrate the Resurrection is a privileged time of sacramental grace by Jason Godin

CNS photo/Gregory A. Shemitz

ou may be familiar with the term “Easter Duty” and relate it to the obligation to go to confession and receive Holy Communion during the Easter season. If you already have a habit of regular confession and Communion, you can fulfill the obligation without much effort. If not, it is worthwhile to recall what the Church requires and why. When considering our sacramental duties, we should first realize that the Church proposes certain rules and requirements to help us grow in grace and get to heaven. For those who grew up in a traditional Catholic household, it may be surprising to learn that the term “Easter Duty” does not appear in the Church’s canon law, nor is it mentioned specifically in the Catechism of the Catholic Church. Rather, the idea stems from two related Church laws: to receive the Eucharist at least once a year during the Easter season, unless a serious reason indicates another time as preferable (canon 920); and to receive absolution in sacramental confession for any mortal sin at least once a year (canon 989). Of course, this is the minimum required by the Church, and today most practicing Catholics receive Communion during not only the Easter season (broadly defined as the period from the First Sunday of Lent to Trinity Sunday) but also many other times of the year. Less popular, however, is the practice of confession, so let us look more closely at that sacrament. For me, the motivation for confession is often a nagging uneasiness that I have hurt someone and a desire to set things right. I may have acted out of anger with my wife or frustration with my children, or harbor resentment toward others. I may try to dismiss this uneasy feeling or rationalize my behavior, but ultimately I know that I have fallen short and sinned. I need to make amends with those whom I’ve wronged and realize that God is the first one offended by sin. That is why I show up at the

confessional — to present myself before Jesus in the person of the priest and receive the Lord’s pardon and peace in absolution (cf. Jn 20:22-23). Call it what you will — penance, confession, reconciliation — the Catechism teaches that this sacrament has many effects, the foremost of which is “restoring us to God’s grace and joining us with him in an intimate friendship” (1468). Sin damages our relationship with God. Reconciliation rooted in humble contrition restores it. For good reason, the formula for absolution begins with the words, “God, the Father of mercies.” Sin also breaks our bonds with others in the Church. We sow discord and distrust, and disrupt our union with the Body of Christ, when we choose to love ourselves over our neighbors. Reconciliation restores those links that we share with the ones we love and the ones we should love more. The aspect of the sacrament that many shrink from — the difficult practice of telling my sins to another person — has become one of the most reassuring for me. On my own, I can fool myself and excuse my sins, thinking that at least I haven’t killed anybody. But the very act of confessing in the presence of a priest makes my examination of conscience deeper and more honest. In the sacrament, God truly acts through the priest, which makes the parting words, “Go in peace,” all the more powerful and consoling. We don’t deserve and cannot earn God’s forgiveness, yet he gives it for the asking. In the sacrament of reconciliation, we drink from the depths of Divine Mercy, where God replenishes us with the graces needed to live in and act out of love each day. Considering that we are reborn spiritually in confession and fortified by grace in Holy Communion, we should think of our Easter Duty as an opportunity to become the better man God calls us to be.♦ JASON GODIN is a member of Chaska (Minn.) Council 9141.

FIND ADDITIONAL ARTICLES AND RESOURCES FOR CATHOLIC MEN AND THEIR FAMILIES AT FATHERSFORGOOD. ORG .

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SECRETARIAT

and the KNIGHT WHO RACED HIM TO VICTORY An interview with Ron Turcotte, the Hall of Fame jockey who rode the fastest steed of all time by Alton J. Pelowski

t was a horse race like none other. In June 1973, a 3-year-old chestnut colt named Secretariat was poised to be the first winner of the illustrious Triple Crown of Thoroughbred Racing in 25 years. Secretariat, known affectionately as “Big Red,” had won the Kentucky Derby and Preakness Stakes in dramatic fashion the previous month. The horse captured the world’s attention, surpassing the Vietnam War, Roe v. Wade and the Watergate scandal in headlines. Still, few could imagine how stunning the win at the 1973 Belmont Stakes would be, with a speed and margin of victory that remain unmatched. This past fall, Secretariat’s owner, Penny Chenery, died at age 95. The horse lived to be 19 years old, before dying in 1989, and the trainer, Lucien Laurin, died in 2000. The jockey who rode Secretariat to victory 45 years ago, however, is still alive and well, and he is a 51-year member of the Knights of Columbus.

Hall of Fame jockey Ron Turcotte, a member of the Knights of Columbus, looks over at the timer during the final stretch of the Belmont Stakes on June 9, 1973. (Photo by Bob Coglianese Photos Inc.) APRIL 2018

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Left: Ron Turcotte sits in his home in Drummond, New Brunswick. On the wall hangs a poster of him as a jockey, signed by his fans with “get well” wishes following his career-ending injuries in 1978. Right: Turcotte stands with Secretariat in anticipation of the 99th running of the Kentucky Derby in 1973.

COLUMBIA: What led you to become a jockey? RON TURCOTTE: I grew up here in New Brunswick in a family of 12 children. When I was old enough, I went to work with my dad cutting lumber. After about five years, my brother went to Toronto and made a lot more money roofing houses. I decided to go back with him to Toronto, but when we arrived, the carpenters were on strike. We left here with very little money in our pockets, and we ran out not long after we got there. At the suggestion of my landlord, I looked for work at Woodbine Racetrack outside of Toronto. I tried twice to get in, but I couldn’t get by the gate without a pass. Meanwhile, we found a restaurant that would feed us at night if we showed up at 5 and stayed until 9 to wash dishes. Then, we’d run to a bait company, hop in a truck and go pick worms and nightcrawlers until 2 or 3 in the morning. That’s how we paid for our room that first month. The third time I headed to Woodbine I hitchhiked, and it happened to be a horse trainer who gave me the ride. We headed by the guards, and he dropped me off at 10 ♦ C O L U M B I A ♦

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the office of a man who helped me find a job at E.P. Taylor’s Windfields Farm, which had a horse that year in the 1960 Derby. Not long after that, I became a jockey, even though I didn’t know anything about racing. Up until then, I didn’t even know what a jockey was. COLUMBIA: And yet you went on to have an extremely successful career, beginning in Canada and then in the United States. Tell me about that. TURCOTTE: Yes, I was leading rider the first year I rode in Canada. By October of the next year, I was 100 wins in front of the second rider. There was a trainer at that time who wanted me to go to Maryland with him and finish out the year there. I was able to get out of my contract, and I became the leading rider in Maryland and also in Delaware the following spring, in 1964. That’s where I got to meet a lot of New York people. One of the stewards asked me where I was heading next. He told me, “You can ride with anybody. You’re pretty polished,” and encouraged me to go to New York. There was a state race at the Aqueduct. I went there to ride a horse for Mr. William du Pont, and I won. A couple of days later, I was one of the first three riders at Saratoga. COLUMBIA: In 1972, a year before you rode Secretariat in the Triple Crown, you rode another Triple Crowncontending horse from the same farm. TURCOTTE: Well, Riva Ridge was actually the horse that saved the farm. I know the movie (Secretariat) doesn’t say that, but Riva Ridge was the winningest 2-year-old champion of 1971 and the favorite for the following year’s Kentucky Derby.

Photo by Bard Photography

Ron Turcotte, 76, is a member of St. Michael de Drummond Council 6841 in Drummond, New Brunswick. Five years after winning the Triple Crown, he was thrown from a horse on the Belmont track and suffered major injuries, ending his career and leaving him paralyzed from the waist down. But it didn’t change his outlook on life. In anticipation of this year’s Triple Crown races, Columbia’s editor, Alton Pelowski, spoke with Turcotte about his career and his memories of riding the “greatest horse that ever lived.”

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Secretariat History’s Greatest Horse The record achievements of Secretariat, the chestnut colt ridden by Ron Turcotte during the 1973 U.S. Thoroughbred Triple Crown, remain unmatched to this day.

♞ Named Horse of the Year in 1972 (the first 2-year-old to be so honored) and again in 1973. ♞ Won the 1973 Kentucky Derby in a record 1:59.40, becoming the first horse to complete the course in less than 2 minutes. ♞ Broke another record at the Preakness Stakes two weeks later, finishing in 1:53 flat. ♞ Featured on the covers of Sports Illustrated, Time and Newsweek the week before the Belmont Stakes. ♞ Defeated the field at Belmont by a jaw-dropping 31 lengths with a record time of 2:24 for 1.5 miles. ♞ Inducted into the National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame in 1974, and received numerous honors and distinctions since. ♞ Had a heart weighing approximately 22 pounds, more than twice the size of that of an average horse, as revealed by a necropsy in 1989.

Photo by Bettmann / Contributor via Getty Images

We won the Derby with him, and if it weren’t a muddy day at the Preakness, we would have gone on to win the Triple Crown. On the fast track, there was no 3-year-old that could beat him. As for Secretariat, I first met him in Florida, and the trainer, Lucien Laurin, asked me to get on him and tell him what I thought. Oh, he was a very kind horse. He wasn’t flighty and timid like Riva Ridge. COLUMBIA: What was it like to ride Secretariat? TURCOTTE: It was really a dream come true. He was a professional horse; a very smart horse; a generous horse; gentle; he learned very fast. I can’t say enough good things about him, besides his ability to run. He was a really, really nice horse. He had ability, and he was the greatest horse I’ve ever seen. What really impressed me was how tough a horse he was, how strong he was. He could take training like no other horse could take. The faster you worked him, the faster he’d run his races. When he was right, there was no horse that could beat him. I already had a Hall of Fame career up to that time and had ridden a lot of great horses — more than I can remember. But Secretariat was the frosting on the cake. There was a man, Hollie Hughes, who had trained the winner of the 1916 Kentucky Derby, so he had seen

Man o’ War, which everybody claimed to be the greatest horse up to that time. And he told me — this is before the Belmont — “Son, you’re riding the greatest horse that ever lived.” And he said, “Believe me, I know. I’ve seen them all. Man o’ War has nothing over this horse.” Finally, he said, “Don’t fall off.” COLUMBIA: Secretariat would often break out of the gate last and come from behind, as in the 1973 Kentucky Derby. Why was that? TURCOTTE: He was big and heavy, like an overgrown kid, so he needed a little time to get his legs together, his feet under him. And I’d give him the time, because I knew he could pick it up. I started schooling him that way, so he could go to the lead or I could come from behind and go between horses. At the same time, he was a very versatile horse. I had won the Gotham Stakes on the lead with him. I rode him the way I did in the Kentucky Derby because I didn’t think he was quite tight enough to go a mile and a quarter without a good race in the Wood Memorial a couple weeks earlier. He had a great big abscess under his upper lip and got beat there. So, at the Derby, I just took it very easy with him the first quarter of a mile and then I start picking up my horses. APRIL 2018

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Clockwise, from left: Ron Turcotte and Secretariat are led into the winner’s circle by owner Penny Chenery following the victory in the 1973 Man O’ War Stakes at Belmont Park in Elmont, N.Y. • Queen Elizabeth II of England speaks with Turcotte in the winner’s circle after he rode Fanfreluche, the Canadian Horse of the Year, to victory in the 1970 Manitoba Centennial Derby. • Turcotte is carried by Reggie Jackson (left), the Oakland A’s slugging outfielder, and Nolan Ryan, the California Angels’ ace pitcher, in New York City Jan. 9, 1974. The athletes vied for the Cavalcade of Champs 1973 trophy. COLUMBIA: At the Derby, you ended up with a track record, which stands to this day. And the same goes for the next two races of the Triple Crown. Take us through those races. TURCOTTE: Well, when we came to the Preakness, which is the second leg of the Triple Crown, I think that was the most beautiful of the races that I rode. I just passed everybody around the first turn and took control of the race at the three-quarter pole. We won very easily and broke the track record, even though it took nearly 40 years before they corrected the time and gave it to us. When we came to the Belmont, I trained Secretariat very hard. I kept encouraging Lucien to let me go ahead with him, and he was afraid that I was doing too much with him. We kept going back and forth until I kind of won my point, because the horse was getting stronger and stronger all the time. 12 ♦ C O L U M B I A ♦

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Anything can happen in a race, but I was so certain that we were going to see something extraordinary. I told Lucien that if I got beat in that race, I was going to hang my tag and quit riding. And he was so sure that he said he would quit training. When I came out the gate in the Belmont, I just took it easy, letting him get his feet under him. But when I saw them closing ahead of me, I didn’t want to be trapped. So, I let him get to the lead, and I had control of the race. Then, I let him run to show everybody what he could do. I was kind of peeved that they didn’t give us a record at the Preakness, so I just let him run. We won by 31 lengths and took 2 and 3/5 seconds off the track record. COLUMBIA: You were already a member of the Knights of Columbus by this time. What inspired you to join in 1967, and what has been your experience with the Order?

LEFT: Photo by Bob Coglianese Photos Inc. — TOP RIGHT: Photo by Doug Griffin/Toronto Star via Getty Images — BOTTOM RIGHT: AP Photo/Ron Frehm

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A Knight at the Races Below are career highlights of acclaimed jockey Ron Turcotte, a native of New Brunswick, Canada, and a member of the Knights of Columbus since 1967. ♞ Rode more than 3,000 winners during his 18-year career. ♞ Won the Preakness Stakes aboard Tom Rolfe in 1965, and the Kentucky Derby and the Belmont Stakes aboard Riva Ridge in 1972. ♞ Rode Secretariat to victory in the 1973 Triple Crown, becoming the first jockey in 70 years to win back-to-back Kentucky Derbys and the first in history to capture 5 of 6 consecutive Triple Crown races (matched in 2015 by Victor Espinoza). ♞ Invested as a member of the Order of Canada in 1974, the first person associated with thoroughbred racing in Canada to receive such an honor. ♞ Inducted into numerous halls of fame following his career, including the U.S. National Museum of Racing Hall of Fame, Canada’s Sports Hall of Fame and the Canadian Horse Racing Hall of Fame.

Right: Turcotte displays the 50-year membership plaque he received from his K of C council in Drummond, New Brunswick.

Photo by Bard Photography

TURCOTTE: Well, I had a friend I went to school with. At that time, we sat two to a bench. By the time I came to New York, he was living in Connecticut. He was a member of the Knights of Columbus and asked if I wanted to join. I said, “Sure, I’d love to.” So, after the races one night, I took my First Degree in Bridgeport with the New Haven team there. I joined a council on Long Island and soon became a Third Degree member. I’ve always enjoyed being a Knight, and I used to attend a lot of meetings when I lived in New York. When I came here, I transferred to St. Andre Council (7222) and then St. Michael Council (6841) in Drummond, where I’m a member now. COLUMBIA: After your tragic accident in 1978, what role did your faith and family play in helping you through? TURCOTTE: Well, I left my life in God’s hands and just kept taking it one day at a time. My wife was with me all the time at the hospital and just about lost me a couple times. I contracted meningitis, went into a coma and they had to re-operate. I was told by the doctor that I would never walk again, and I just tried to do the most I could in my situation.

My family was so great. They treated me the same as when I was riding, as the same person. I couldn’t ask for a better family, and I can’t say enough about my wife. She really helped me and stuck by me. Being a jockey is a very dangerous profession, but that’s something that never entered our minds. If we thought about how dangerous it was, then we probably wouldn’t do it — but you’re young, you’re fearless. Still, I always kept a St. Christopher medal in my car and a small crucifix in my helmet.

POSTSCRIPT: Since returning home to New Brunswick four decades ago, Turcotte has kept himself busy. He has ranched beef cattle and raised other animals, and he has planted nearly 300,000 trees. After his four daughters graduated, he began making appearances at racetracks throughout Canada and the United States, signing autographs for charity. He serves on the board of the directors of the Permanently Disabled Jockeys Fund and offers encouragement to injured riders. Turcotte still travels occasionally, but is otherwise enjoying life in Drummond, where he lives with his wife of 52 years, Gaëtane, and continues to participate in his local K of C council.♦

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GAME ON! The father of gold medal winner Amanda Pelkey reflects on watching his daughter’s dream come true by John Pelkey, with Columbia staff

he U.S. women’s ice hockey team had won eight out of the last 10 World Championship tournaments. Until this February, however, 20 years had passed since the team won a gold medal at the Olympics, as the Canadian women were victorious in Salt Lake City (2002), Turin (2006), Vancouver (2010) and Sochi (2014). At the 2018 Olympic Winter Games in Pyeongchang, South Korea, the U.S. team defeated Canada for the gold in an overtime shootout Feb. 22. John Pelkey, 54, a member of Bishop Brady Council 399 in Barre, Vt., and father of U.S. player Amanda Pelkey, 24, traveled to South Korea with his wife and son to watch his daughter compete. He spoke with Columbia about his experience of raising an Olympic champion. ICE IN THE BLOOD Hockey has always been one of my big passions. My father was a big hockey guy, and I grew up playing it as well. Amanda was probably 2 years old when she started, skating with all the 7- and 8-year-olds and speeding circles around them. She just really loved it at a very young age, and had a God-given gift for the game. When she was about 8, a good friend gave us tickets to a U.S. Olympic women’s game. Amanda looked at me and said, “Dad! I love this! I wanna play on that team someday!’” And I looked at her and said, “Then keep practicing, because you can do it.” She really worked hard at it. Maybe I’m old-school, but the way I was brought up is that as a parent you find what God-given gifts your kids have, and then try to give them every tool and opportunity to help them grow. For me, it meant getting involved with coaching and running summer programs so that Amanda could be on the ice. I’ve been involved with Vermont hockey for 23 years now. 14 ♦ C O L U M B I A ♦

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IF YOU BUILD IT… I also built a rink in our yard. Sometimes, up to 50 neighborhood kids would be out there. Our pastor Father Paul would come up and skate, too. We had a big picture window in the house, and he always said it was divine intervention that a puck never went through it. When the city wouldn’t let me put lights on the rink, a dear friend said, “Hey, Coach, do you know that you don’t need a permit for Christmas tree lights?” So, I bought 6,000 Christmas tree lights for one tree, 4,000 for the other and lit up the rink. It was so beautiful. You could see it from the other side of the valley. Whenever I turned them on, my buddy on that side would say, “The game must be on. We’ll bring the kids over!” I sent my kids to a little Catholic school here in Montpelier, St. Michael’s, and when Amanda would play competitive hockey, between 5th to 8th grade, we’d go to Canada. She was very fortunate to be a good student, and I’d take her out of school to go play up in Montreal. A lot of the sisters and the lay teachers were extremely supportive. Amanda would tell them, “Yeah, someday I’m going to play in the Olympics.” A lot of those teachers have contacted us since and said, “You, know, we always thought you guys were a little bit crazy, but it’s amazing to see her achieve her dreams.” A PRE-OLYMPICS PARTY Going to the Olympics is extremely expensive. With my wife, myself and my son, you’re talking a pretty good chunk of change. One of my buddies said, “We’re gonna have a little party and raise a little something for you.” I don’t like charity in the sense of receiving it, but he said, “No, we’re gonna do it. All the different people Amanda grew up playing hockey with, we’re inviting those teams and their families.”

Photo courtesy of the Pelkey family

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Photo by Nathan Denette/The Canadian Press via AP

Above: The U.S. women’s ice hockey team celebrates its gold medal victory Feb. 22 at the 2018 Olympic Winter Games in South Korea. • Opposite page: John Pelkey stands with his daughter, Amanda, and wife, Ann, after the U.S. Women’s National Team won the gold medal at the International Ice Hockey Federation Women’s World Championship in Plymouth, Mich., April 7, 2017. Well, they had over 500 people show up. I told my wife it was better than a wedding. And they raised enough money for all three of us to go. We’re just very, very blessed. There’s no other way to put it.

stunned while everybody was jumping up and down all around me. And I’m like, “Did this just really happen? Is it over? Are you really serious?” It was so surreal. I just looked up and said, “Thank you.”

‘ARE YOU SERIOUS?’ In Korea, we could definitely feel my father around us the whole time. He would have loved it. He just passed away a couple years ago. Like I said, he was a big, big hockey guy. He never missed one of my games. The culture is very different in Korea, and few people speak English, but we had a blast. We are fortunate to be in a time where we have Google Translate. We would talk into our cell phone and it would come out Korean or Russian or whatever language the person spoke, and they would talk into theirs, and it would come out English. It was really cool. I was talking to everybody. We went to all the games in Pyeongchang. In the gold medal game, as I sat there from the overtime period to the end of the shootout, I probably sucked down a whole roll of Rolaids. Then, when the last goal was scored, I was sitting there

GIVING BACK I grew up with the Knights of Columbus. My father and grandfather were Fourth Degree members, and I’m Fourth Degree today. I work in the granite industry, and we’ve made granite signs for different councils all over the country. I also helped build our local club, which we just sold to a school. The money went to St. Monica’s Church in Barre. I’ve always tried to teach my kids the importance of giving back. Martin St. Louis, a Canadian kid who coached Amanda when he played for the University of Vermont, also always pumped into her head the idea that you never become larger than the game. He actually went on to win a Stanley Cup with the Tampa Bay Lightning. So Amanda’s always put a lot of time and love into things like working at hockey camps and speaking at various schools in the area. When she’s not playing pro hockey, she’s coaching and doing a lot of wonderful things.♦ APRIL 2018

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The Last Martyr of MEXICO The heroic witness of St. Pedro Maldonado, a member of the Knights, inspired the restoration of religious freedom to his state by Juan Guajardo

he Cristero War had ended in 1929, but the persecution of the Church in Mexico wasn’t over. Of the country’s 4,500 priests before the war, only 334 remained. Father Pedro Maldonado was one of only two priests in the Chihuahua state who stayed with his flock. On Ash Wednesday 1937, he finished hearing confessions in Santa Isabel Parish at around 3 p.m. and began his walk home. He had barely arrived when the silence was broken by rough knocks on the door. His attackers were waiting. The priest changed out of his cassock, threw on his sombrero and asked a parishioner for two pyxes to protect the consecrated hosts. Outside, his parishioners valiantly tried to create a diversion to allow him time to escape, but to no avail. More than 25 raucous, armed men on horseback had arrived to apprehend him on false charges from anti-Catholic municipal officials. Hours later, the beloved pastor was brutally beaten to death. Of the 25 Mexican martyrs that Pope John Paul II canonized

May 21, 2000, Father Maldonado was one of six Knights of Columbus priests and the last of the martyrs to be killed. He became a saint of two cities — Chihuahua, where he ministered, and El Paso, Texas, where he was ordained 100 years ago and later exiled — and his witness continues to inspire Catholics on both sides of the border. “The fact that he was ordained in El Paso is a blessing from God,” said Father Fernando Zapata, St. Maldonado’s great grandnephew and a priest of the Archdiocese of Chihuahua, at a recent celebration of the ordination anniversary (see sidebar). “That he was given the means here to spread the message in Chihuahua connects both dioceses and unites both cultures through a common faith and duty to serve Jesus Christ.” A PASTOR AND OUTLAW Pedro de Jesús Maldonado Lucero was born June 15, 1892 to Apolinar Maldonado and Micaela Lucero in Chihuahua, Mexico. The youngest of eight siblings, he excelled in his studies

Opposite page: Archbishop Constancio Miranda Weckmann of Chihuahua, Mexico, concelebrates the centennial anniversary Mass at St. Patrick Cathedral Jan. 25. Bishop Mark J. Seitz of El Paso (left) was the homilist for the bilingual Mass.

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Photos by Spirit Juice Studios

The reliquary of St. Pedro de Jesús Maldonado Lucero is pictured during the centennial celebration of the saint’s ordination at St. Patrick Cathedral in El Paso, Texas.

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and showed an interest in the priesthood from childhood. He followed God’s call and entered the seminary in 1909. His peers looked up to him for his devotion. In a biography titled El Mártir de Chihuahua (1992), Javier H. Contreras Orozco noted that after one session of spiritual exercises, the rector asked Pedro what went through his mind. The pious youth replied, “I have thought to have my heart always in heaven and in the tabernacle.” As the bishop of Chihuahua recovered from an illness, Father Maldonado traveled to El Paso to be ordained on Jan. 25, 1918. He returned to his native Chihuahua a few weeks later to celebrate his first Mass and begin his priestly duties. Despite being described as thin and frail by the townspeople, he energetically carried out his ministry with particular care for the spiritual well-being of families, as well as for the poor, the sick, and the native farm laborers known as campesinos. Father Maldonado promptly started a “nocturnal adoration” ministry that blossomed to include at least nine area churches. In 1922, he formed one of the first Knights of Columbus councils in Chihuahua — Fray Alonso

100 Years of Priestly Witness El Paso faithful celebrate centenary of St. Pedro Maldonado’s ordination ONE SAINT. Two cities. One hundred years. The significance of those numbers did not go unnoticed by Catholics in the Diocese of El Paso, Texas. From Jan. 21-26, hundreds of faithful — including numerous Knights of Columbus and their families — came together to commemorate the 100th anniversary of St. Pedro Maldonado’s ordination, which took place in El Paso’s St. Patrick Cathedral Jan. 25, 1918. Events included a talk on persecution, a musical about St. Pedro’s life, a Holy Hour, a panel discussion by friends and family of the saint, and a centennial Mass. One of the great blessings that came during the weeklong celebration was the gift of a relic — a piece of bone from St. Pedro’s hand — by the Archdiocese of Chihuahua to the Diocese of El Paso. “We received that relic at the border crossing close to here, and we had a procession led by the Knights of Columbus,” explained Bishop Mark J. Seitz of El Paso. A shrine of St. Pedro was erected in the cathedral in 2005. The only shrine

in the United States dedicated to a Knight of Columbus saint, it will now permanently house the relic. “He began his commitment to Christ in a public way right here in our cathedral,” Bishop Seitz said. “How many dioceses can claim a saint? How many can say that one was ordained in their cathedral? We’re very proud that he is ours.” Texas Knights of Columbus played a prominent role in the celebration. Following the centennial Mass, State Deputy Douglas Oldmixon observed that St. Pedro “provides to modern Knights an incredible example of charity — it’s the ultimate charity to lay down your life for your friends.” Father Fabian Marquez, a priest of the Diocese of El Paso and a member of St. Thomas Aquinas Council 11926, also noted the special connection between the Knights and St. Pedro. “Now,” he said, “they also have a responsibility to share and promote the life of one of our Knights — a Knight who is a martyr and a saint for the Church of Chihuahua, the Church of El Paso and the Church worldwide.” – Reported by Juan Guajardo APRIL 2018

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caves to avoid being seen. He celebrated Mass in silence, under the cover of darkness, and continued to hear confessions, baptize, preside at weddings and minister to the sick and dying. A new wave of persecution broke out in 1931, and three years later, Father Maldonado was incarcerated, beaten and psychologically tortured by authorities before being exiled to El Paso, where he was aided by the Knights of Columbus. ‘¡VIVA CRISTO REY!’ Desiring to be near his flock, Father Maldonado returned to Chihuahua and remained there until his death. On that fateful Ash Wednesday, Feb. 10, 1937, Santa Isabel’s municipal officials used false charges to call for his arrest. Some of the men who apprehended him still wore ashes on their foreheads. They forced him to walk barefoot approximately 3 kilometers from his La Boquilla neighborhood to the city hall. Along the way, he and the parishioners accompanying him prayed the rosary. When the group arrived at the building, one official grabbed Father Maldonado by the hair and punched him. Two others hit the defenseless priest over the head with the butts of their rifles. Bleeding heavily, Father Maldonado was dragged to the second floor, where the vicious attack continued. Several of his

Photo by Joe Najera Photography/Diocese of El Paso

Briones Council 2419 — with the intention of drawing men closer to Christ. Two years later, he was assigned to Santa Isabel Parish. Laity close to Father Maldonado knew his strong stance against Masonic sects, socialist education, anti-worship laws and agraristas — peasants armed to steal private property and turn it into common land. His outspokenness didn’t sit well with authorities, and when President Plutarco Elías Calles’ regime broke open the dam of religious persecution in 1926, life became tougher for the priest and his faithful in Santa Isabel. Under Calles, Mexico’s anti-Catholic worship laws began to be zealously enforced throughout the state, resulting in a bloody civil war and the shuttering of churches, schools and seminaries. In late 1926, the state issued a warrant for Father Maldonado’s arrest, accusing him of violating the country’s strict worship laws. The authorities relentlessly hunted the priest throughout the northeast region of the Chihuahua. Forced into hiding to evade capture, Father Maldonado “went from ranch to ranch, living day by day, but he no longer celebrated the liturgy in homes to avoid endangering the residents,” wrote Orozco. “Instead, to throw his pursuers off his trail, he celebrated Mass outdoors, in caves and under trees.” The authorities remained in pursuit in 1927, but Father Maldonado traveled through the cerros (hills) and slept in

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Photo courtesy of Fray Alonso Briones Council 2419

Above left: Father Fernando Zapata, the great grandnephew of St. Pedro Maldonado and a member of St. Patrick Cathedral Council 16778 in El Paso, leads a Holy Hour at the cathedral Jan. 26. • St. Pedro (in front of the doorway at right) stands with members of Fray Alonso Briones Council 2419 in Chihuahua, Mexico, Dec. 17, 1922, the day the council was chartered. parishioners tried to defend him, but they were overpowered and thrown out of the building. “That’s when one of the assailants mockingly fed him the Eucharist, which he was carrying with him and protecting,” recounted Father Zapata. The hosts had fallen, which prompted the assailant to say, “Here, eat your superstition.” “But they didn’t know that was his last wish — not to die without receiving the Body of Christ,” explained Father Zapata. “That was how he entered martyrdom.” Father Maldonado’s attackers left him lying in a pool of his own blood, semiconscious. He was beaten so badly that his left eye was nearly dislodged from its socket, his skull was cracked, and his teeth were shattered. By the time a group of women parishioners were able to rescue him and get him to the hospital late that night, he was in a coma. He died the next day, on the feast of Our Lady of Lourdes, from severe brain trauma. The priest’s death, ruled a murder, shocked the people of Chihuahua, and Catholics turned out en masse for his funeral procession, shouting, “Long live Christ the King! Long live

the Virgin of Guadalupe! Long live Father Maldonado!” — just as Father Maldonado had vividly dreamed shortly before his martyrdom. Although the newspapers gave the murder little publicity, it prompted local Catholics to establish religious freedom groups and begin lobbying the state government to respect the rights of the faithful. Two months later, on April 26, 1937, the governor of Chihuahua authorized the resumption of public worship. By May 1, church bells rang across Chihuahua once more. Father Maldonado’s legacy remains an inspiration and an example of “peace, union and fraternity,” said Father Zapata, who recently became a member of St. Patrick Cathedral Council 16778 in El Paso. “Through his sacrifice, he shows us that, even when we’re surrounded by conflict, peace and love of Christ is stronger than any kind of violence.”♦ JUAN GUAJARDO is editor of North Texas Catholic, the publication of the Diocese of Fort Worth, and a member of Davis Lambright Council 4101 in White Settlement, Texas. APRIL 2018

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‘LOVE IS THE ONLY WAY’ An interview with actor Jim Caviezel about his role in the new film Paul, Apostle of Christ by Columbia staff he Great Fire of Rome in A.D. 64 had been extinguished. If he really sees that, then you would see his heart in his eyes, Nonetheless, the Emperor Nero, looking for a scapegoat, and it would be haunting. That moment is the beginning of continued to light the streets of the city with the burning bod- his conversion. ies of Christians. This is where the new film Paul, Apostle of COLUMBIA: In preparing for the role, did you grow in apChrist begins, as the title character spends his final days awaiting martyrdom in ancient Rome’s Mamertine Prison. preciation of St. Paul and St. Luke? The film, which is dedicated to those facing persecution for CAVIEZEL: When (producer) David Zelon first approached their faith today, centers on the friendship of Paul (James me about the project, I didn’t jump up and say I’d like to do Faulkner) and Luke the Evangelist (Jim Caviezel), who risks it. But around that time, I went to Auschwitz with my lawyer his life to visit Paul in prison and carry of 21 years, Frank Stewart, who had the apostle’s writings to the Christian been fighting his fourth cancer. He was community. a mentor to me. We were there looking Paul, Apostle of Christ is a unique at the very place where Maximilian collaboration between a nonprofit Kolbe died — like Paul and many great Catholic organization, ODB Films saints who were put in prison unjustly (odbfilms.com), and a major Hollyand faced great suffering and execution wood studio, Sony Pictures. Written in our Lord’s name. and directed by Andrew Hyatt, the When I came back, Frank passed film (rated PG-13) was released in theaway. Probably a month and a half later, Support the Knights of Columbus aters March 23. I get a phone call from Zelon. I wasn’t Christian Refugee Relief Fund. Jim Caviezel spoke to Columbia in in any mood to do the movie and said, Visit christiansatrisk.org early March about his faith and how he “Just send me the script.” As I read it, I got involved in the project. immediately saw my relationship with Frank: me being Luke and Frank being COLUMBIA: This was your first biblical role since The Pas- my mentor, like a father. That was the relationship I saw besion of the Christ. What attracted you to the project? tween Luke and Paul. JIM CAVIEZEL: Great script. Most scripts you get — whether COLUMBIA: Your trip to Auschwitz was connected to the a Bible or religious story, comedy, drama, action — they’re not that good. If you can find a good one, then the rest of it is just documentary Liberating a Continent: John Paul II and the getting the tone of it. I sat down with (writer/director) Andrew Fall of Communism, which you narrated. What significance Hyatt, and he was very open to that. When you sit down with did that project have for you? your director, you get the idea if you’re right for it. Then, you CAVIEZEL: It’s definitely related to this one. Twenty percent go from there. of the Polish population was killed in World War II. They were One of the many messages in this one is that Paul becomes invaded by the Nazis, and the Communists came and stabbed a great teacher because he learns humility through great hu- them in the back. But their faith and their devotion to the miliation. He’s haunted at the end of his life by the people he Blessed Mother was extraordinary. had hurt. The one big one had to be Stephen calling out, and The martyr Father Jerzy Popiełuszko — I can look at him and seeing the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of the Father. say, “I can’t be afraid. I have to be able to look evil in the eye.” 20 ♦ C O L U M B I A ♦

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Photo by Afif Amireh

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St. Luke (Jim Caviezel) talks with St. Paul (James Faulkner) in a scene from Paul, Apostle of Christ, released in theaters March 23.

Photo: ® CTMG 2018

I’m reminded of people like Maximilian Kolbe and what he gave. It is the forgiving at all costs. It is not passivity. Forgiveness is not passivity. It’s not weakness, but it’s meeting evil in the face with love. COLUMBIA: How does Paul, Apostle of Christ relate to the experience of Christians in the Middle East and elsewhere? CAVIEZEL: I had some friends who came back from war and brought pictures of Christians that were crucified by ISIS on Good Friday. The media wasn’t interested in that; I don’t know why. I try not to be too cynical, because I know that’s not where our Lord is. I want to lead people with love, but gosh, that’s a bitter feeling in your stomach. We can’t be ostriches as Christians, sticking our heads in the sand. Our Lord is very, very clear at the end when he separates the goats from the sheep, and they both say, “When did we see you hungry? When did we see you thirsty?’ And he says, “Whatsoever you did to the least of these, you did it to me.” Many faith-based films are too saccharine; they put too much sugar in their coffee, and I just can’t take it that sweet. There’s bitterness there when you look at the cross and the man on that cross who is our Messiah. I’m not saying that God isn’t asking us to be joyful — but we have to show the truth. We had that in this film, and we also had to find those moments of humor to bring people along and love these characters.

COLUMBIA: Among the film’s key flashbacks is Paul’s conversion on the Road to Damascus. Looking back at your own life, have there been any moments that inspired your own faith? CAVIEZEL: Mel Gibson came to me at one point and tried to talk me out of doing the The Passion of the Christ. He said, “You may never work in this town again.” And I said, “Look, man, we’re all called to carry our cross. If you don’t pick up and carry your cross, you will be crushed from the weight of it.” I believe those words came from heaven, and at that moment, I realized that my initials are J.C., and I was 33 years old. It was no coincidence. As Catholics, we have to be able to look death in the face. I know that time will come, and I just want to be ready to meet it. It may come today, who knows? Jesus doesn’t withhold suffering from his friends. So, there came a time in my life when I decided I wasn’t going to be a victim. I can’t be a person who continues to be a victim and is afraid: “Oh, look at how they’re treating me, and I should be treated better.” Certainly, the great saints never played the victim. They learned from their suffering like Paul. That was the big change for me: no more victimhood. I’m not going to play that. That can’t be the path. Love is the only way. And that’s also an important message of this film. Jesus wants us to get out there and live a way that people feel loved. That is the most convicting thing.♦ APRIL 2018

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Knighthood and the ‘New Man’ Catholic men are called to be faithful servants, protecting their families and building up the Church by Archbishop Charles J. Chaput

EDITOR’S NOTE: The following text was abridged from an address delivered Feb. 3 at the “Into the Breach” men’s conference, sponsored by the Diocese of Phoenix, and is reprinted with permission. The Arizona Knights of Columbus provided significant volunteer and financial support for the event.

Exactly 900 years ago, in A.D. 1118-19, a small group of men came together in Jerusalem to form a religious community. They were pilgrims. The First Crusade had retaken the city from Muslim rule in 1099. The men, who were all from Europe’s knightly order, had come looking for a life of common prayer and service. They got both, but not in the way et’s be clear about our purpose today. “Into the Breach” they intended. is a men’s conference in the most thoroughly binary sense. As warriors, the men had skills. As knights, they came from We’re here to recover what it means to be men, and especially respected families with important connections. The roads leadhow to live as Christian men of subing to Jerusalem and other holy sites stance and virtue. The theme for my were infested with brigands and Musremarks is “memory, sex, and the maklim raiders that would rob, rape, muring of ‘the new man.’” I’ll deal with der or abduct many of those making the each of those topics in turn because journey. The Christian rulers of the city they connect to each other in some imneeded help in protecting the travelers. HE WORLD NEEDS portant ways. … The men had taken vows of poverty, chastity, and obedience to the Patriarch FAITHFUL CATHOLIC MEN, MEMORY AND THE of Jerusalem. And their first task, under MEN WITH A HUNGER “NEW KNIGHTHOOD” obedience, was to patrol the roads. … Memory is a cornerstone of our idenThe Holy See approved the rule of TO BE SAINTS. tity. It’s the storehouse of everything their religious community, the Poor we’ve learned, all of our love, all of our Brothers of the Order of the Temple of Solomon — the Knights Templar. The experiences, and all of their meaning. Templars went on to become the most Memory gives the storyline to our effective Christian fighting force in the lives. It shapes how we understand the Holy Land for nearly 200 years. They had dozens of recruiting world and approach the future. … Just as memory anchors each person’s individual story, his- and support communities throughout Europe. And they were tory plays the same role for cultures, nations and communities so successful that they were finally persecuted and suppressed of faith. History is our shared memory. When we Christians through the jealousy of the French king. lose a strong grasp of our own history — our own unique A lot of nonsense — some of it vindictive, some of it ridicustory and identity — others will gladly offer us a revised ver- lous, much of it just false — has been written about the Temsion of all three: a version that suits their own goals and big- plars. If you want facts, read Malcolm Barber’s The New otries, and not necessarily the truth. And then some very ugly Knighthood: A History of the Order of the Temple, or the work things can happen. A community dies when its memory fails. of Jonathan Riley-Smith or Thomas Madden. Or read St. So our memory as a Christian people matters. And I want to Bernard of Clairvaux’s great reflection on the Templars, “In recall one particular piece of our history as Christian men, be- Praise of the New Knighthood.” But pay special attention to cause it speaks to us right here, today. that expression: “the new knighthood.”

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The Dedication by Edmund Blair Leighton (oil on canvas, 1908) / Wikimedia Commons

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Archbishop Charles J. Chaput of Philadelphia speaks at the Catholic men’s conference hosted at Xavier College Preparatory in Phoenix Feb. 3.

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family. All of you fathers are bishops. And every father shapes the soul of the next generation with his love, his self-mastery and his courage — or the lack of them. So what does that mean? It means the world needs faithful Catholic men, men with a hunger to be saints. The role of a Catholic husband and father — a man who sacrifices his own desires, out of love, to serve the needs of his wife and children — is the living cornerstone of a Christian home. The Church in this country may face a very hard road in the next 20 years, and her sons need to step up and lead by the witness of their daily lives. SEX AND THE “NEW MAN” Since most of you are familiar with those two little details called the Sixth and Ninth Commandments, I’ll mention the obvious things just briefly. Don’t cheat on your wife. Don’t put yourself in a situation where the idea would even occur to you. Don’t mislead and abuse women, and damage your own dignity as a man, by sleeping around before marriage. And if you’re already doing that, or did that, or you’re toying with the idea of doing it sometime in the future, stop it, now, and get to confession. Finally, don’t demean your wife, your daughters, your mother and your sisters by poisoning your imagination with porn. It steals your time and your heart from the people who need them the most — the wife and family you love. Pornography exploits and humiliates women. And it dehumanizes men at the same time. God made us to be better than that. Our families need us to be better than that.

Photo by John Bering/Catholic Sun, courtesy of the Diocese of Phoenix

Knighthood in medieval Europe began as a profession of heavily armed male thugs — men obsessed with vanity, violence and rape. It took the Church and royalty centuries to tame and channel it. The animating ideal at the core of the Templars was to build a new order of new Christian men, skilled at arms, living as brothers, committed to prayer, austerity and chastity, and devoting themselves radically to serving the Church and her people, especially the weak. The ideal of this “new knighthood” was often ignored or betrayed. Then and now, humans are sinners — all of us. But the astounding thing is how much more often and how much more fruitfully the ideal was embraced, pursued and actually lived by the brothers, rather than abused. My point is this. C.S. Lewis described Christianity as a “fighting religion.” He meant that living the Gospel involves a very real kind of spiritual warfare; a struggle against the evil in ourselves and in the world around us. Our first weapons should always be generosity, patience, mercy, forgiveness, an eagerness to listen to and understand others, a strong personal witness of faith, and speaking the truth unambiguously with love. … This is why the ideal of knighthood still has such a strong hold on the hearts and imaginations of men. As men, we’re hardwired by nature and confirmed by the Word of God to do three main things: to provide, to protect and to lead — not for our own sake, not for our own empty vanities and appetites, but in service to others. … John Chrysostom, the great saint of the early Eastern Church, described every human father as the bishop of his

Photo by De Agostini / C. Balossini / Bridgeman Images

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Those are some of the don’ts. The dos are equally obvious. Do love the women in your life with the encouragement, affection, support and reverence they deserve by right. Do be faithful to your wife in mind and body. Do show courtesy and respect to the women you meet, even when they don’t return it. Chivalry is dead only if we men cooperate in killing it — and given the vulgarity of our current national environment and its leaders, we certainly need some kind of new code of dignity between the sexes. Finally, those of you who marry, do have more children, and do invest your time and heart in them. America is facing a birth bust, and it’s a sign of our growing national selfishness. Children are the future. They’re the cement of love in the covenant of a husband and wife. They’re the single best antidote to selfishness. Harvey Weinstein, Kevin Spacey and all the other blots on recent male behavior are merely a symptom of an entire culture of unhinged attitudes toward sex. Women are right to be angry when men treat them like objects and act like bullies and pigs. But a real reform of male behavior will never come about through feminist lectures and mass media man-shaming by celebrities and award ceremonies. In a lot of men, that kind of hectoring will merely breed nominal repentance and inner resentment. A man’s actions and words change only when his heart changes for the better. And his heart only changes for the better when he discovers something to believe in that transforms and gives meaning to his life; something that directs all of his reasoning and desires. In other words, when he becomes a new man. … But we don’t and we can’t create ourselves. And when we try, we destroy the very thing that guarantees our humanity: the reality that none of us is a god, but all of us are sons and daughters of the true and only God. There’s only one way any of us will ever become a genuinely new man. It’s by giving ourselves totally to God. It’s by putting on the new man in Jesus Christ that Paul describes in Ephesians 4 (22-24) and Colossians 3 (9-17). And the kind of new men we become demands the armor Paul gives us in Ephesians 6 (11-17) — because, like it or not, as Catholic men, we really are engaged in a struggle for the soul of a beautiful but broken world. To put it another way: The “new knighthood” St. Bernard of Clairvaux once praised never really disappears. It’s new and renewed in every generation of faithful Catholic men. And brothers, that means us. It’s a vocation that belongs to us, and nobody else. … Maleness, brothers, is a matter of biology. It just happens. Manhood must be learned and earned and taught. That’s our task. So my prayer for all of us today is that God will plant the seed of a new knighthood in our hearts — and make us the kind of “new men” our families, our Church, our nation, and our world need.♦ MOST REV. CHARLES J. CHAPUT, O.F.M. Cap., is archbishop of Philadelphia.

22 Rules of Knighthood

In his Feb. 3 address in Phoenix, Archbishop Chaput summarized the rules of knighthood written more than 500 years ago by Erasmus of Rotterdam in his book The Manual of a Christian Knight. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9

10 11

12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22

Deepen and increase your faith. Act on your faith; make it a living witness to others. Analyze and understand your fears; don’t be ruled by them. Make Jesus Christ the only guide and the only goal of your life. Turn away from material things; don’t be owned by them. Train your mind to distinguish the true nature of good and evil. Never let any failure or setback turn you away from God. Face temptation guided by God, not by worry or excuses. Always be ready for attacks from those who fear the Gospel and resent the good. Always be prepared for temptation. And do what you can to avoid it. Be alert to two special dangers: moral cowardice and personal pride. Face your weaknesses and turn them into strengths. Treat each battle as if it were your last. A life of virtue has no room for vice; the little vices we tolerate become the most deadly. Every important decision has alternatives; think them through clearly and honestly in the light of what’s right. Never, ever give up or give in on any matter of moral substance. Always have a plan of action. Battles are often won or lost before they begin. Always think through, in advance, the consequences of your choices and actions. Do nothing — in public or private — that the people you love would not hold in esteem. Virtue is its own reward; it needs no applause. Life is demanding and brief; make it count. Admit and repent your wrongs, never lose hope, encourage your brothers, and then begin again.♦ APRIL 2018

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KNI GHTS IN ACTION

REPORTS FROM COUNCILS, ASSEMBLIES AND COLUMBIAN SQUIRES CIRCLES

Members of Abbot Francis Sadlier Council 6168 in Lecanto, Fla., paint Our Lady of Grace Church. The council volunteered 300 hours to the project, applying 35 gallons of paint in two shades of blue to the church building and its tower. Council 6168 also ran the most successful Father Willie Golf Tournament in its 22-year history, netting $8,000 for 16 teachers at St. John Paul II Catholic School. The tournament is named after golf-loving Father Willie McEwan, Council 6168’s chaplain from 1979 to 1986.

VOCATIONS ENCOUNTER

SHOE TOSS

John F. Kennedy Memorial Council 5635 in Dunedin, Fla., hosted a vocations appreciation dinner to provide a personal encounter between 20 seminarians and priests and 125 Catholic parents and youth. With a priest of seminarian at each table, the parishioners had the chance to converse and gain a greater understanding of vocations to the priesthood. The dinner was served by 15 young people from the parish faith formation program, and $2,500 of the meal’s proceeds were donated to the Diocesan Burse Fund, with the remaining $500 going to the youth program retreat fund.

Monsignor James J. Zegers Council 9113 in Marmora, N.J., held its ninth annual Michael J. Barnes Memorial Shoes at the Shore horseshoe fundraiser. The horseshoetoss competition honors the memory of a deceased council member and raised $4,000 for the council’s program to support widows in need.

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MILITARY CHAPLAIN FUND

Father Francis Tretiel Assembly 1736 in Barnesville, Ohio, with the help of St. Joseph of Monroe County Council 5009 in Woodsfield and Cambridge Council 1641, conducted collections

at five area parishes. The fund drive yielded $4,500 to support the Archdiocese for the Military Services, USA, through the Knights of Columbus Military Chaplain Scholarship Program.

Olympics of Texas after Knights from across the state donated close to $316,000 in cash, goods and services to the organization. For more than 20 years, St. Jude Council 7736 in Mansfield and Father W.P. Pechal Council 11721 in Kaufman have taken the lead in preparing meals for the Special Olympics Texas Summer Games, working alongside other councils to feed the event’s thousands of volunteers. The jurisdiction also welcomed Supreme Chaplain Archbishop William E. Lori to the Texas State Convention and recognized him with the inaugural Archbishop John Carroll Defender of Religious Liberty Medal, which was developed by Msgr. Timothy J. Valenta Assembly 2041 in College Station. To accompany the occasion, the assemblies of Guadalupe Province District 6 raised $2,500, which was donated in Archbishop Lori’s honor to the Supreme Council’s RSVP program.

LONGSTANDING SERVICE

Rivière du Loup (Québec) Council 2402 reached its 40th consecutive year of blood drives. The many years of collections have supported the medical needs of the council’s community. TEXAS-SIZED CHARITY

The K of C Texas State Council was was recognized as a major sponsor of Special

In the aftermath of flooding, a member of Father Vander Heyden Council 4874 in Ponchatoula, La., loads up relief supplies. The council and ladies’ auxiliary prepared 640 box lunches and 400 hot dinners for those whose homes were damaged by the water, as well as for those who assisted with cleanup efforts.

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K N I G H T S I N AC T I O N GIFT FOR THE GROTTO

Twelve Apostles Council 16189 in Platte City, Mo., made a $500 donation to Twelve Apostles Catholic Church to help fund a new Marian Grotto, recently constructed as a space for prayer and meditation. Two young brothers organized the construction and maintain the grotto parish as part of their Eagle Scout service project. PALLIATIVE CARE PRESENTATION

Father Shyshkowich Council 8925 in Winnipeg, Manitoba, hosted a speakers forum on palliative care, affirming the inherent worth and dignity of every person and emphasizing the importance of caring for each as an individual. The forum, held at St. Joseph’s Ukrainian Catholic Church, was attended by 140 people. Council 8925 prepared a petition to the House of Commons in Parliament, requesting that hospice palliative care be identified as a

defined medical service covered under the Canada Health Act, and also raised $940 for Palliative Manitoba. SMILES ALL AROUND

Father Wohlfohrt Council 12029 in St. Bonifacius, Minn., teamed up with the local Lions Club to provide crucial dental work for a high school student who had recently lost her father. The young woman and her mother did not have adequate dental coverage or the financial resources to replace the broken crown of one of her front teeth. A teacher at Waconia High School tried for months to find funding for her student’s dental work, finally reaching the Lions and Council 12029. A local dentist agreed to donate the crown and perform the work for a nominal fee, allowing the Knights and Lions to donate the $500 each had earmarked for the project to the student and her mother for other expenses.

Parishioners of St. Joseph Catholic Church and members of Father Anthony McGirl Council 7907 in Issaquah, Wash., gather in front of the World War II Memorial by the Legislative Building in Olympia. The Knights and parishioners attended a regional March for Life, for which the Knights provided a bus and supplied signs.

ULTRASOUND INITIATIVE

Bishop Gross Council 1019 and Bishop Gross Assembly 176, both in Columbus, Ga., presented a new ultrasound machine to Seneca Choices for Life. Council 1019 also donated $10,000 toward the machine’s insurance and maintenance. THE WAY TO LOURDES

Father Tony Sagrado, pastor of Most Holy Trinity Church, celebrates Mass during a prison visit coordinated by Most Holy Trinity Council 5774 in Balic-Balic Manila, Luzon. After Mass, the council provided food, drinks and toiletries to the 68 inmates.

The Four Chaplains Council 10652 in Fort Lewis, Wash., aided a group of pilgrim warriors flying out of Seattle for the International Military Pilgrimage in Lourdes, France. The help included a 4 a.m. pickup, assistance with luggage and check-in, and late-night help upon the pilgrims’ return.

Additionally, a peaceful place for prayer and reflection was provided to the travelers before departure. BLESS THE BIKES

Victoria (British Columbia) Council 1256 hosted a Bicycle Blessing for the parishioners of St. Andrew’s Cathedral. “Bike to Work Week,” beginning the following Monday, presented a good opportunity to have the riders and their equipment blessed. The rector of the cathedral offered a rousing opening prayer and shared a reading from the Book of Ezekiel before blessing the bikes with holy water. Afterward, the Knights served coffee, ice cream sundaes and floats.

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K N I G H T S I N AC T I O N TRAVELING TROUBADOURS

Holy Trinity Council 9990 in Nanaimo, British Columbia, was called on by an ecumenical partner parish to help host the Lutheran Youth Choir. The Knights provided breakfast for the musicians, who were touring the region to perform the biblical musical Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat. BALLPARK OUTING

Members of Florentino N. Vergel De Dios Assembly 2822 in Baliuag, Luzon, repaint a marker that welcomes travelers on the highway between Baliuag and San Rafael.

HOSPITAL HELP

Father Les Costello Council 2403 in Timmins, Ontario, donated $60,000 to Timmins and District Hospital, a medical facility serving a population of 115,000 in the region. The hospital’s aging facilities are in need of updates to better provide care for the community. The council’s contribution came from funds invested after the sale of its hall.

a parish centennial celebration of the apparitions of Our Lady of Fatima. The program included a candlelit procession with the image of Our Lady of Fatima, a Mass, and a reception featuring an impressive “rosary cake” that used a cupcake to represent each bead.

New Richmond (Wis.) Council 2845 sponsored and chaperoned a baseball expedition, taking a bus full of young altar servers from Immaculate Conception and St. Patrick parishes, as well as children from a local emergency shelter, to St. Paul, Minn., for a St. Paul Saints game. OUT TO THE BALL GAME

Triad Assembly 2282 in Winston-Salem, N.C., welcomed eight veterans from the VA Medical Center in Salisbury

GOING GREEN

Presentation Council 10478 in Stockton, Calif., took the message of Laudato Si’ to heart and transitioned from disposable napkins, tablecloths and utensils to reusable metal utensils and cloth napkins and tablecloths that can be washed and reused. The council is in the process of purchasing plates to eliminate the need for paper plates and has also transitioned to a digital newsletter. FATIMA CELEBRATION

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Frank Gerard of St. Joseph’s Council 8268 in Duluth Heights, Minn., and Neil Sloboda install the new church sign at St. Joseph’s Catholic Church. The council contributed to the fundraising effort for the cost of the parish’s new sign.

to an evening of fellowship, baseball and fireworks at a Winston-Salem Dash baseball game. Al Davis, a Korean War Army veteran, threw out the first pitch, and all the veterans in attendance were recognized. The assembly handed out 400 small flags prior to the game, and the honor guard presented the colors during the national anthem. CCD RESOURCE

Members of Father M. J. Monahan Council 4851 in Hollywood, Fla., and Patricia DeWain, a staff member of Annunciation Catholic Church in West Park, prepare meals in the kitchen at the parish’s first Loaves & Fishes Dinner.

Fairbury (Neb.) Council 4434 donated copies of the book Good Pictures, Bad Pictures to the CCD ministry of St. Michael’s Catholic Church. The books are for the parents of young children. Children are encountering explicit material at very young ages, and this book is used to educate parents on how to speak to their child about the inappropriate things they may accidentally see.

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K N I G H T S I N AC T I O N STATIONS OF THE CROSS

St. Philip the Apostle Council 9995 in Payson, Ariz., constructed a walkway and outdoor Stations of the Cross for its parish. The walkway includes a crushed granite path that leads to seven 8-foot wood crosses, each of which bears two bronze images depicting the different stations. The walk is lit in the evenings and features benches for rest and prayer. FUNDING THE FUTURE

Msgr. James J. Hickie Council 6695 in Bristol, Tenn., helped invest in the future of the Church by supporting local Catholic education. The council donated $50,000 to St. Anne’s Catholic School, adding to the existing Council 6695 Scholarship Endowment in memory of Past Grand Knight Roland Heon and Deacon Harry Hall.

Ray Howard, faithful navigator of Father Henry Tevlin Assembly 2108 in Rock Hill, S.C., hands dozens of donuts to a Rock Hill police officer. The assembly delivered 25-dozen donuts to the Lancaster, Rock Hill and York police and fire stations as an expression of appreciation and support for first responders.

INTO THE BREACH INFO

Father Michael C. Kidd Council 14455 in Mitchellville, Md., purchased copies of Bishop Thomas Olmsted’s apostolic exhortation Into the Breach for the parishioners of Holy Family Parish. The booklets, available through the Order’s Catholic Information Service, were distributed after weekend Masses with the aid of the Ladies of Holy Family Mitchellville. SCORE!

Michael Tinh Tran, a seminarian supported by Doctor Briggs Council 4597 in Courtenay, British Columbia, is ordained to the diaconate by Bishop Gary Gordon of Victoria at Christ the King Parish. The council helped organize a reception following the liturgy and also cleaned up the many resulting dishes and cutlery.

Father Douglas J. Nohava Council 1229 in Flagstaff, Ariz., recently donated a state-of-the-art scoreboard to San Francisco de Asis Catholic School for its new gymnasium. GOLFING FOR GABRIEL

Sacred Heart Council 2577 in Bowie, Md., hosted its 19th Dave Grabowski Memorial

Pro-Life Classic to benefit The Gabriel Network, which helps pregnant women choose life by offering medical, logistical and financial support. One of the event’s corporate sponsors offered a $20,000 prize for a hole-in-one, drawing many golfers to the challenge, but the prize sadly went unclaimed. The event yielded $12,000 to support the pro-life ministry. DIAPER DISASTER AVERTED

When the Gabriel Project building at its parish was destroyed by arson, St. Anthony Claret Council 10090 in San Antonio held a diaper drive to provide supplies for the pro-life ministry. The 5,033 diapers collected will help 24 families for a month, and the council has set a goal of 10,033 diapers for the next drive.

SESQUICENTENNIAL CELEBRATION

Chilliwack (British Columbia) Council 3478 hosted an information booth at the city’s Canada Day celebration that marked the 150th anniversary of the nation. Knights handed out flags and patriotic lapel pins while also highlighting the many good works of the council in its community. It was a terrific chance for outreach, and many children enjoyed the opportunity to take a photo with the Knights. FUND DRIVE

Prince of Peace Council 12990 in Miami, Fla., raised $1,100 toward the purchase of a new ultrasound machine for Respect Life Pregnancy Help Center of North Miami-Dade, which helps expectant mothers in need.

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K N I G H T S I N AC T I O N

with disabilities and their families. The wheelchair will allow clients to more easily tour the grounds, follow the Stations of the Cross and visit the outdoor shrines. BLUE MASS

Father Lance W. Harlow, chaplain of De Goesbriand Council 279 in Burlington, Vt., ties a pair of sneakers for a youth at Kurn Hattin Homes for Children, a residential care facility for children at risk. The sneakers were purchased through the charitable work of the St. Nicholas Project, which connects the Catholic community in Vermont with Kurn Hattin. Father Harlow enlisted the help of multiple councils in the Diocese of Burlington for the project, to which they responded with donations to the Back-to-School Shoe Fundraiser and contributions to a raffle in honor of Father Harlow’s silver jubilee. These two fundraisers generated over $26,000 to support the children’s home.

PARISH ASSISTANCE

FAITH FEST

Pius IX Council 4396 in Lansdale, Pa., made a $600 donation to St. Maria Goretti Church to help fund the repair of the church roof. The money was raised through a pancake breakfast that served more than 200 people.

Councils across the Diocese of Lansing, Mich., united to be a “gold sponsor” of the second annual FaithFest event, held at the St. Francis Retreat Center in DeWitt. The Knights contributed $5,000 to the Christian music festival, which drew some 8,000 people of all ages for a day of prayer, activities and music. Fourth Degree Knights also served as an honor guard for the festival’s Mass.

RECTORY RENOVATED

Over several months, Kuyahoora Valley Council 10544 in Newport, N.Y., helped renovate the rectory of St. John the Baptist Catholic Church. In the kitchen, the Knights installed a new window, painted, refurbished cabinets and laid new flooring. They also updated the rectory’s bathroom and improved its outdoor safety features. These renovations and the hours spent completing many other tasks have saved the parish a great deal of money. 30 ♦ C O L U M B I A ♦

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WALK ON

Bishop Hill Council 5468 in Campbell River, British Columbia, sponsored a walkathon to raise money for local Special Olympics projects. Knights of Columbus and Special Olympics athletes collected pledges totaling over $5,000, which was used to pay for uniforms, travel expenses, venue rentals and

more for Campbell River athletes traveling to Kamloops for competitions. HOME FOR HISTORY

Lock Haven (Pa.) Council 1774 refurbished an exhibit building of the Columbus Chapel and Boal Mansion Museum, located in Boalsburg. The space will serve as a vault for 150,000 pages of Columbus family correspondence dating from the 1450s along with other artifacts that make up the largest Columbus collection in North America. NEW WHEELS

Holyoke (Mass.) Council 90 donated a wheelchair to the Bureau for Exceptional Children and Adults at JERICHO, an organization that provides religious education, support and a wide array of activities for people

St. Bernards of Madison (Wis.) Council 9082, along with Bishop W.P. O’Connor Assembly 1200, sponsored a Blue Mass for police and fire personnel. Red and blue memorial candles were lit in remembrance of deceased personnel, and the Mass was attended by Madison police, the Dane County sheriff, the University of Wisconsin police force, the Madison Fire Department, and paramedics and EMS personnel from around Dane County. PARISH CELEBRATION

Bristol (R.I.) Council 379 provided an honor guard for a Marian procession during the centennial celebration of Our Lady of Mount Carmel Church in Bristol. The celebration is the longest running festival honoring Mary in the entire state of Rhode Island.

Participants enjoying a “Sip & Paint” arts night hosted by Our Lady of the Rosary of Fatima Council 7460 in Cornwall, N.Y., prepare the backgrounds of their pictures. The program of refreshments and relaxing painting activities raised $1,000 for the CCD program of St. Thomas of Canterbury and St. Joseph Parish.

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K N I G H T S I N AC T I O N SCHOOLWORK

DISTRICT EFFORT

Msgr. Gilbert Council 9364 in Washington, N.C., assisted in the restoration of a local school, which is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. One of the Knights discovered a large crucifix in the school’s storage, which he restored and complemented with religious murals in the CCD classroom.

The councils of South Luzon District S-55 united to hold their first “Buntis Summit” (Pregnancy Summit) under the theme “Pagmamahal at Kalinga sa Buhay” (Love and Care for Life). Some 100 mothers attended for a free ultrasound, consultation and checkup by an OB-GYN; seminars on responsible parenthood and the life cycle in the womb; and maternal care conducted by the University of the Philippines’ College of Human Ecology. Thanks to the generous support of companies and individuals, the project had funding left over.

SPECIAL OLYMPICS SUPPORT

St. John Vianney Council 7077 in Lower Sackville, Nova Scotia, annually hosts the Halifax Area Regional Special Olympics Track and Field Meet. Volunteers from track clubs and other councils assisted with the program’s events, which included the long jump, the broad jump, shot put, bocce and a washer toss — plus ceremonies and lunch. The 130 athletes each received a treat bag, a stuffed toy and a gift from Canadian Tire. Knights also assisted at the provincial games and made a combined contribution of $6,000 to the program.

Faithful Navigator Leon Fitzgerald of Msgr. Gerald Murphy Assembly 2223 in Dartmouth, Nova Scotia, distributes Canadian flags at a ferry terminal, commemorating the unveiling of Canada’s current maple leaf flag.

FILLING THE PANTRY

CHALLENGE ACCEPTED

GIFT OF EDUCATION

Blue Ridge (Ga.) Council 12126 made a $3,000 donation from the proceeds of its charity golf tournament to Feed Fannin, an organization that feeds the hungry of Fannin County and the Copper Basin through a community garden, a food pantry, education and fundraising.

St. Michael the Archangel Council 15458 in Canton, Ohio, accepted a challenge from its chaplain to honor the Sisters of Notre Dame by erecting a monument to their service and dedication at St. Michael the Archangel School. As the first phase of a two-part project, the council built a wall featuring the sisters’ names and years of service at the school.

Wichita Falls (Texas) Sacred Heart Council 10998 presented its annual Vinny Lewis/Tony Bindel Memorial Scholarship, which was created in honor of two deceased grand knights. The council has awarded more than $20,000 in scholarships since the program began.

OCCASION TO GIVE

Rt. Rev. Msgr. William A. Delaney Council 5983 in Farmingdale, N.Y., celebrated its 50th anniversary by making a $5,000 donation to the Church of St. James in Seaford.

CHURCH COMMUNITY

Bishop Armstrong Council 4443 in Sacramento gave one of its sponsored seminarians a chalice, which was used at his first celebration of Mass. The council also annually donates $1,000 to three different churches for use at their pastors’ discretion.

PARISH-WIDE CHARITY

Members of St. Francis of Assisi Council 15937 in Lewiston, Mich., take a break after installing new windows in the rectory of their parish. For insurance reasons, the previous windows had to be replaced with windows that would allow a person room to exit in case of an emergency.

Rev. W.W. Kroupa Council 3720 in Butte, Neb., donated $2,000 to each of the three churches that make up Sacred Heart Parish of Boyd County. The funds were used toward much needed capital improvement, and Knights also assisted with replacing the churches’ shingles.

kofc.org exclusive See more “Knights in Action” reports and photos at www.kofc.org/ knightsinaction

APRIL 2018

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K N I G H T S I N AC T I O N

K OF C ITEMS OFFICIAL SUPPLIERS

Councils Step Up After Disaster

IN THE UNITED STATES THE ENGLISH COMPANY INC. Official council and Fourth Degree equipment 1-800-444-5632 • www.kofcsupplies.com LYNCH AND KELLY INC. Official council and Fourth Degree equipment and officer robes 1-888-548-3890 • www.lynchkelly.com IN CANADA ROGER SAUVÉ INC. Official council and Fourth Degree equipment and officer robes 1-888-266-1211 • www.roger-sauve.com

J O I N T H E FAT H E R MCGIVNEY GUILD

04/18

Please enroll me in the Father McGivney Guild: NAME ADDRESS CITY STATE/PROVINCE ZIP/POSTAL CODE Complete this coupon and mail to: The Father McGivney Guild, 1 Columbus Plaza, New Haven, CT 06510-3326 or enroll online at: www.fathermcgivney.org

OFFICIAL APRIL 1, 2018: To owners of Knights of Columbus insurance policies and persons responsible for payment of premiums on such policies: Notice is hereby given that in accordance with the provisions of Section 84 of the Laws of the Order, payment of insurance premiums due on a monthly basis to the Knights of Columbus by check made payable to Knights of Columbus and mailed to same at PO Box 1492, NEW HAVEN, CT 06506-1492, before the expiration of the grace period set forth in the policy. In Canada: Knights of Columbus, Place d’Armes Station, P.O. Box 220, Montreal, QC H2Y 3G7 ALL MANUSCRIPTS, PHOTOS, ARTWORK, EDITORIAL MATTER, AND ADVERTISING INQUIRIES SHOULD BE MAILED TO: COLUMBIA, PO BOX 1670, NEW HAVEN, CT 06507-0901. REJECTED MATERIAL WILL BE RETURNED IF ACCOMPANIED BY A SELF-ADDRESSED ENVELOPE AND RETURN POSTAGE. PURCHASED MATERIAL WILL NOT BE RETURNED. OPINIONS BY WRITERS ARE THEIR OWN AND DO NOT NECESSARILY REPRESENT THE VIEWS OF THE KNIGHTS OF COLUMBUS. SUBSCRIPTION RATES — IN THE U.S.: 1 YEAR, $6; 2 YEARS, $11; 3 YEARS, $15. FOR OTHER COUNTRIES ADD $2 PER YEAR. EXCEPT FOR CANADIAN SUBSCRIPTIONS, PAYMENT IN U.S. CURRENCY ONLY. SEND ORDERS AND CHECKS TO: ACCOUNTING DEPARTMENT, PO BOX 1670, NEW HAVEN, CT 06507-0901.

COLUMBIA (ISSN 0010-1869/USPS #123-740) IS PUBLISHED MONTHLY BY THE KNIGHTS OF COLUMBUS, 1 COLUMBUS PLAZA, NEW HAVEN, CT 06510-3326. PHONE: 203-752-4000, www.kofc.org. PRODUCED IN USA. COPYRIGHT © 2015 BY KNIGHTS OF COLUMBUS. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. REPRODUCTION IN WHOLE OR IN PART WITHOUT PERMISSION IS PROHIBITED. PERIODICALS POSTAGE PAID AT NEW HAVEN, CT AND ADDITIONAL MAILING OFFICES. POSTMASTER: SEND ADDRESS CHANGES TO COLUMBIA, MEMBERSHIP DEPARTMENT, PO BOX 1670, NEW HAVEN, CT 06507-0901. CANADIAN POSTMASTER — PUBLICATIONS MAIL AGREEMENT NO. 1473549. RETURN UNDELIVERABLE CANADIAN ADDRESSES TO: KNIGHTS OF COLUMBUS, 50 MACINTOSH BOULEVARD, CONCORD, ONTARIO L4K 4P3 PHILIPPINES — FOR PHILIPPINES SECOND-CLASS MAIL AT THE MANILA CENTRAL POST OFFICE. SEND RETURN COPIES TO KCFAPI, FRATERNAL SERVICES DEPARTMENT, PO BOX 1511, MANILA.

32 ♦ C O L U M B I A ♦

APRIL 2018

DEVASTATING WILDFIRES swept across California in 2017, causing more damage than all such fires in the previous decade combined. In response, Knights in the region rose to the occasion with an outpouring of generosity for brother Knights and others who were impacted. Following the Tubbs Fire of August — the most destructive in the state’s history, engulfing more than Flames from a wildfire consume a home near Napa, 5,600 buildings and homes in Calif., Oct. 9, 2017. Sonoma and Napa counties — the California State Council and local councils set in motion a network of support. Within days, members of Alemany Council 982 in Napa had relief distribution efforts underway. “Councils sent us loads of clothes, shoes, water, diapers — all the essentials that people need to live on,” explained Grand Knight Kenneth Marshall. Joseph De La Cerda of San Fernando Mission Council 3016 drove 380 miles north to deliver items collected from churches in Southern California. Eventually, Marshall had to ask the other Knights to stop making deliveries. “It was amazing,” he said. “We were just overwhelmed with donations.” Two months later, when the Pocket Fire ravaged Cloverdale in northern California, St. Patrick’s Council 3484 in Canby, Ore., responded with remarkable efficiency. After Mike Gorka, a member of Council 3484 with ties to the community of Cloverdale, Calif., put out an SOS to his brother Knights, the council swiftly undertook a drive for needed items and funds “When a fellow Knight calls and says, ‘We need help,’ we are ready and willing to do the work,” said Past Grand Knight Duane Kloser. Greg Perez (left) and Jesse Villarreal of St. Patrick’s “We had a meeting on Tuesday, Council 3484 in Canby, Ore., took to the road and I was in my truck and on the to bring relief supplies to Californians in need. road Friday with a trailer loaded full to head to Cloverdale,” said Greg Perez, community director of Council 3484. Perez drove 1,300 miles with fellow council member Jesse Villarreal to the deliver food, bedding, personal hygiene items and household goods. Learning exactly which items were most needed in Cloverdale, the two returned the following week with another load. “Donations were coming in from all areas of California Knights of Columbus councils,” said Joseph Galbraith, a member of Van Nuys (Calif.) Council 3148 and state chairman for disaster response. “The need was there, and the California Knights stepped up.”♦

TOP: AP Photo/Rich Pedroncelli, file

Following California wildfires, K of C councils respond to needs

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K N I G H T S O F C O LU MBU S

Knights of charity Every day, Knights all over the world are given opportunities to make a difference — whether through community service, raising money or prayer. We celebrate each and every Knight for his strength, his compassion and his dedication to building a better world.

Members of Our Lady of Hope Council 8086 in Port Orange, Fla., work together to place wall framework during a Habitat for Humanity build. Many Knights, accompanied by their wives, came out on a Saturday to help with the initial structural work on the home, which will house a family in need in Edgewater. The council’s commitment will continue until the project is completed, including workdays for painting and sod laying.

TO BE FEATURED HERE , SEND YOUR COUNCIL’ S “K NIGHTS IN A CTION ” PHOTO AS WELL AS ITS DESCRIPTION TO : C OLUMBIA , 1 C OLUMBUS P LAZA , N EW H AVEN , CT 06510-3326 OR EMAIL : KNIGHTSINACTION @ KOFC . ORG .

APRIL 2018

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PLEASE, DO ALL YOU CAN TO ENCOURAGE PRIESTLY AND RELIGIOUS VOCATIONS. YOUR PRAYERS AND SUPPORT MAKE A DIFFERENCE.

K E E P T H E FA I T H A L I V E

‘I COULD NOT CONTROL MY JOY.’

SISTER CATHERINE NONYELUM CHUKWUONWE Sisters of the Blessed Sacrament of Onitsha, Nigeria East Wilson, N.C.

Photo by Jimmy Williams Photography

With the help of God, I received my vocation one Sunday when I was 7 years old and a group of the Immaculate Heart of Mary Sisters came to Mass at our parish. The moment I saw them, I was so happy that I could not control my joy. I left my seat and walked to them and stayed with them. To me, the sisters seemed to be walking like angels. After Mass, I said to them, “I want to be a sister, so that I will be walking like you.” When I reached home, I told my mother. She, too, was filled with joy and told me, “God has answered my prayers. I asked God on my wedding day to call one of my sons as a priest or daughter as a nun.” With tears, she said, “My daughter, I will be praying for you.” I later found the congregation I would belong to and was drawn to their charism of always adoring Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament. Glory be to his holy name, today I am a sister!